Jim Paek
Encyclopedia
Jim Paek (born April 7, 1967) is a former professional
ice hockey
player. Paek played in the National Hockey League
from 1990–91 to 1994–95. He is the first of two Korean hockey players to ever play in the NHL
– the other being Richard Park
. He is currently an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins
of the American Hockey League
(AHL).
in the ninth round, 170th overall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft
. Before joining the NHL in 1990–91, he played three seasons for the Oshawa Generals
(1984–85
to 1986–87
) of the OHL
and three seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks
(1987–88 to 1989–90) of the IHL. Paek also played 48 games for the Canadian National Team in 1990–91.
Paek's NHL career began with the Penguins in 1990–91. Upon entering the league, he became the first Korean-born hockey player to ever play in the NHL and since he was part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup
run of 1990–91, he became the first Korean to have his name engraved on the Cup. His Penguins sweater now hangs in the Hockey Hall of Fame
honouring this feat.
After four seasons and two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, Paek was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Kings
in 1993–94 as part of the deal that brought Tomas Sandström
to the Penguins. After only 18 regular season games as a King, he moved on, signing with the Ottawa Senators
for the 1994–95 NHL season.
After only 29 games with the Ottawa Senators in 1994–95, he left the NHL and began play in the International Hockey League. In the IHL, he played for the Houston Aeros
, Minnesota Moose
, Manitoba Moose
, and Cleveland Lumberjacks
. His next stop was Great Britain
, where he joined the Nottingham Panthers
of the British Ice Hockey Superleague. With the exception of 40 games in 2001–02 with the Anchorage Aces of the West Coast Hockey League
, he played out the rest of his career with the Panthers, retiring after the 2002–03 season.
In five NHL seasons, Paek played 217 regular season games, scored 5 goals, had 29 assists for 34 points. He also racked up 155 penalty minutes. Added to his regular season totals are 27 playoff games, 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points, and 8 penalty minutes.
After retiring from playing, he coached the Orlando Seals of the World Hockey Association 2
. He coached only one season as the league folded after a single season (2003–04). He had a record of 27 wins, 25 losses, and 5 overtime losses.
Paek took a year off from the professional coaching ranks in 2004–05 and coached the St.Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) High School team to an Ohio state championship. While coaching at St.Edward, he also led a last place seed Cleveland Jr. Panthers ('91 birth year)team to an Eastern Elite Amateur Hockey League title.
Paek is, as of the end of the 2005–06 season, associate coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins
of the American Hockey League
. The team is a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings
.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. Paek played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
from 1990–91 to 1994–95. He is the first of two Korean hockey players to ever play in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
– the other being Richard Park
Richard Park
Richard Park is a Korean-born American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:Park moved to Southern California near Los Angeles with his family at the age of three...
. He is currently an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League....
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(AHL).
Playing career
Jim Paek was the 1st Korean to play hockey in the NHL. Paek was drafted by the Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
in the ninth round, 170th overall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft
1985 NHL Entry Draft
The 1985 NHL Entry Draft was the first draft outside of Montreal. The event was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and attended by 7,000 fans. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the...
. Before joining the NHL in 1990–91, he played three seasons for the Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...
(1984–85
1984–85 OHL season
The 1984–85 OHL season was the 5th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Fifteen teams each played 66 games. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Peterborough Petes. The Greyhounds also set an OHL record that still stands, going 33–0 at home in the regular...
to 1986–87
1986–87 OHL season
The 1986–87 OHL season was the 7th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Fifteen teams each played 66 games. The Oshawa Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the North Bay Centennials.-Final standings:-Scoring leaders:...
) of the OHL
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
and three seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks
Muskegon Lumberjacks
The Muskegon Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Muskegon, Michigan.-Facts:-Season-by-Season record:Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses/Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in...
(1987–88 to 1989–90) of the IHL. Paek also played 48 games for the Canadian National Team in 1990–91.
Paek's NHL career began with the Penguins in 1990–91. Upon entering the league, he became the first Korean-born hockey player to ever play in the NHL and since he was part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
run of 1990–91, he became the first Korean to have his name engraved on the Cup. His Penguins sweater now hangs in the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
honouring this feat.
After four seasons and two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, Paek was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in 1993–94 as part of the deal that brought Tomas Sandström
Tomas Sandström
Tomas Sandström is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League from 1984 to 1999. He grew up in Fagersta, Sweden....
to the Penguins. After only 18 regular season games as a King, he moved on, signing with the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
for the 1994–95 NHL season.
After only 29 games with the Ottawa Senators in 1994–95, he left the NHL and began play in the International Hockey League. In the IHL, he played for the Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros
The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...
, Minnesota Moose
Minnesota Moose
The Minnesota Moose was an ice hockey team in the International Hockey League. They played in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, at the Saint Paul Civic Center. The team also played some home games at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Moose were a representative of professional hockey in Minnesota at...
, Manitoba Moose
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose were a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that played in the International Hockey League from 1996 to 2001 and American Hockey League from 2001 to 2011. The team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 to become the St...
, and Cleveland Lumberjacks
Cleveland Lumberjacks
The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Facts:The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Facts:...
. His next stop was Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, where he joined the Nottingham Panthers
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...
of the British Ice Hockey Superleague. With the exception of 40 games in 2001–02 with the Anchorage Aces of the West Coast Hockey League
West Coast Hockey League
The West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington...
, he played out the rest of his career with the Panthers, retiring after the 2002–03 season.
In five NHL seasons, Paek played 217 regular season games, scored 5 goals, had 29 assists for 34 points. He also racked up 155 penalty minutes. Added to his regular season totals are 27 playoff games, 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points, and 8 penalty minutes.
Coaching career
When Paek signed on as a player for the Anchorage Aces, he also signed on as an assistant defensive coach for the team.After retiring from playing, he coached the Orlando Seals of the World Hockey Association 2
World Hockey Association 2
The World Hockey Association 2 was a minor professional ice hockey league created at the instigation of the organizers of the proposed recreated World Hockey Association to serve as its development league. The WHA2 teams — some of which had played the 2002–03 season in the Atlantic Coast...
. He coached only one season as the league folded after a single season (2003–04). He had a record of 27 wins, 25 losses, and 5 overtime losses.
Paek took a year off from the professional coaching ranks in 2004–05 and coached the St.Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) High School team to an Ohio state championship. While coaching at St.Edward, he also led a last place seed Cleveland Jr. Panthers ('91 birth year)team to an Eastern Elite Amateur Hockey League title.
Paek is, as of the end of the 2005–06 season, associate coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League....
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
. The team is a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
.